11/22/2013

East Fort Bliss, opened second Sam Adams Pub in the Army.

East Fort Bliss, in El Paso, TX opened the second Sam Adams Pub in the Army. The new pub, specializes in the Sam Adams line of craft beers, opened November 13, in a renovated part of the Centennial Club.

The renovation includes new furniture, equipment, bar ware and new Alehouse Amber with patina, Vetrazzo countertops. The countertops are made of recycled beer bottles and is the perfect choice for a Sam Adams Pub.

Planned for three years, the pub is meant to provide some casual dining options and enhance the quality of life on East Fort Bliss, said Tianna Bowden, food and beverage program manager for Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, which will run the facility.

“Craft beers are extremely trendy right now, and people are getting away from the basic domestics,” Bowden said. The Army’s first Sam Adams Pub is located at Fort Irwin, Calif.

The new pub will serve a variety of imported and domestic beers in the bottle and different Sam Adams craft beers in the bottle and on tap. It will also serve wine and has a full liquor bar. It will be open to the public, but you need to be at least 21 to enter the premises.The pub will also feature a beer-inspired menu, Bowden said. ”A lot of the menu items are made with beer,” she said. “We have beer-battered fish, lager ketchup, beer chili, even our desserts. We have a beer and bacon pecan tart. ”The pub cost $275,000 to renovate and outfit with furniture, equipment, bar ware and other amenities. The money came from what are known as nonappropriated funds, meaning the money isn’t general tax dollars but was generated by Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities at Fort Bliss, said Heather Wilburn, marketing coordinator for the morale-boosting organization.”I think it’s exciting to have something like this on Fort Bliss,” Wilburn said. “East Fort Bliss has expanded so quickly a lot of quality-of-life projects are just now catching up. We have gyms, the Soldier Activity Center. This is the first step for a food-dining-entertainment aspect.”The pub will also have an outdoor patio area with a separate bar and fire pit.A certified Sam Adams cicerone, or beer guide, was scheduled to visit the pub before it opens and train the staff on how to serve beer and talk about it.The pub will be open 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 5 to 10 p.m. on Fridays, but may expand those hours in the future.